Both ink pens and highlighters are well known. Pens and highlighters are extensively used in almost every field, from students to contractors and everyone in between. In many circumstances, such as when an individual is using the highlighter and simultaneously making notes in the margin, having both a pen and a highlighter available is very useful. One method of solving this problem is to switch between two separate writing instruments.
A second method of solving this problem is to create a writing instrument which incorporates both a pen and a highlighter. A combination pen and highlighter is advantageous because the user always has both pen and highlighter without having to carry multiple instruments and the user can switch between pen and highlighter without having to place one down and retrieve the other.
Two prior art highlighter and pen combinations are the Paper Mate® 2-in-1™ and the Uni-ball® Combi. These two devices both contain a ball point pen in combination with a highlighter, but the highlighter and pen are located on opposite sides of the device. While this design ensures a user has both a highlighter and a pen nearby, the design does not provide for an easy and comfortable transition between pen use and highlighter use.
The Bic® Duo is another pen and highlighter combination device. Unlike the Paper Mate® 2-in-1™ or the Uni-ball® Combi, the Duo provides both the highlighter and the pen on a single side of the device. The Duo includes a ball point pen in the middle of the construction and a donut cross-sectioned highlighter. The donut cross-sectioned highlighter surrounds the pen.
The Duo has two distinct limitations. First, the Duo relies on a twisting motion to extend and retract the highlighter. This twisting motion requires the use of a second hand. Thus the user's efficiency is limited. Second, the shape and position of the highlighter requires that the Duo's highlighter reservoir surrounds the pen reservoir. Therefore, the volume of the highlighter reservoir becomes limited. Highlighter fluid can be used very quickly during normal use of a highlighter. In addition, highlighter fluid is prone to drying out, even when a top is used. It has been found that the highlighter of the Duo requires additional motion to transition between highlighter and pen, and the Duo highlighter dries out much quicker than standard highlighters.
The present invention is advantageous over these prior art pens because it provides an ergonomic mechanism for transitioning between pen and highlighter and it provides a large highlighter fluid reservoir (highlighter wick 300).